Christian greiner



(No Model.)

0. 'GREINER. STOCKING STRETGHER.

Patented July 1-1, 1893.

WITNESSES: mm

Ana/mam I I NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN GREINER, OF MUNICH, GERMANY.

STOCKlNG-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,065, dated July 11,1893.

Application filed February 9, 1893. Serial No. 461.551. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN GREINER, residing in Munich, Bavaria,Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStocking-Expanders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a stocking expander composed of a length ofwire bent into the form of a flattened stockingand designed [O to shapestockings and to permit them to be dried without shrinking or losingtheir form.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my improvedstocking expander. Fig. 2 is an elevation of a modification.

The stocking vexpander is composed of a continuous length of wire, bentto assume the outline of aflattened stocking, viz., a leg and foot. Theleg of the expander is divided into a front section b and a rear section0. Each section is coiled at the top to constitute a spring a, a while asimilar spring a is formed at the too. The two ends a and a of the wire,form the two innershanks of the divided leg and they are connected by aslip joint as shown. That is to say, the wire a is looped around thewire a, so that as the leg of the expander is compressed, the loopedwire a will be free to slide down upon the straight wire a. The resultis, that the expander 39 will always exert a uniform pressure uponnarrow and upon Wide stockings. It will be seen that when the expanderis thrust into a stocking, the divided leg will permit a contraction,while the springs will cause an ex pansionao't' the device, so that theexpander may befeadily fitted into a stocking and will stretch the samewhen in place.

In Fig. 2. a hook d is pivoted to the spring a and engages the shank aof the expander. 40 This hook prevents an undue stretching of thestocking.

What I claim is A stocking expander composed of a length of wire bent toform a spring foot and a spring leg and in which the two free ends a, aof the wire form the twoinner shanks of theleg section and areinterlooped to form a slip joint, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

O. GREINER.

Witnesses:

ALBERT WEIcKMAN, O. MAYER.

